Computer systems are currently in use. Such computer systems often run applications that are used in generating content. For instance, some applications include word processing applications, slide presentation applications, spreadsheet applications, among others.
In such computing systems, users can perform a wide variety of different types of commands on content that are created with these types of applications. For instance, when a user highlights a word in a word processing document, the user can perform a variety of different types of direct commands on that highlighted text, such as to bold the text, underline the text, italicize the text, copy the text, etc. Users sometimes perform these commands by actuating user actuated elements, corresponding to the commands, that are displayed on a commanding surface. In one example, a commanding surface is also referred to as a commanding palette. The commanding palette is a display surface (or user interface display) that has a plurality of different tabs. Each tab, when actuated, displays a corresponding set of command actuators. When the user actuates one of the command actuators, the application performs a corresponding command on a selected item, such as on highlighted text, etc.
Some computing systems are deployed on mobile devices, such as on smart phones, tablet computers, etc. Such mobile devices often have limited display real estate so the commanding palette is often collapsed, by default, in order to reserve room in the display real estate to show the user's content. Also, in such applications, the commanding palette is not displayed along with the keyboard. Therefore, when a user wishes to perform any of a wide variety of different commands, the user may normally need to first provide an input to dismiss the keyboard, and then provide another input to invoke the commanding palette. The user must then perform the different actions needed to actuate an actuator on the commanding palette, in order to perform an operation on a selected item of content. This can make even simple tasks, such as highlighting text, cropping a picture, or adding a column to a table, slow and cumbersome. This also makes tasks that interleave typing and formatting particularly inefficient.
Even after the user has provided the inputs so that the commanding palette is displayed, the user interaction is still cumbersome. The user still needs to select a desired tab and then scroll through the palette (which is often arranged vertically) in order to identify and select a command that the user wishes to perform.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.